The Second-Rounders
Normally, it’s almost unheard of to strike gold in the latter third of the NBA Draft (Isaiah Thomas an obvious exception), but the Celtics might have done exactly that with one of their two selections in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft.
That their other selection has hit some road bumps is hardly unexpected, however. We’ll begin with the 51st overall pick in 2019, then take a look at the aforementioned hiccups of No. 33.
Tremont Waters
Passed over by many a general manager currently kicking themselves for the missed opportunity, Connecticut native Tremont Waters would have played his way into a regular contract by now if there weren’t other, also-enticing prospects already filling roster slots.
The two way floor general has been lighting up the G League, having garnered Player of the Week and Month honors — the former twice — already this season.
Averaging 4.4 points, 0.6 rebounds and an assist over 7.8 minutes of playing time with the parent club, Waters might appear to be on par with most of the other rookies already mentioned, but unlike anyone save Green for short stretches, Waters’ playing time has not been in garbage time.
Successfully helping cover Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart’s extended absences for Boston, the LSU product shows he could already be a backup point guard at the NBA level despite his 5-foot-10 stature.
Carsen Edwards
The Purdue product has a reputation as a dead-eye shooter, and many expected Edwards to be a near-seamless fit at the NBA level.
But the Houston native has struggled to connect since joining the league, hitting just .305 from deep and overall. While not living up to the bench assassin role he was hoped to take on this season, it’s not unusual for younger guards to need time to adjust to NBA game speed and complexity.
However, his lack of success in the G League concerning; while he is shooting better at a lower level of play, his 3-point shot is still a concern, connecting from beyond the arc just 27.1 % of the time while shooting 8.4 attempts per game in the developmental league.
The good news is his 2-point shooting is a respectable-if-not-impressive 42.4 % in the G League. The bad news is he’s only hitting 68.8 % of his free throws at that level, which would be alarming if not for the fact he’s doing the same shot at a 84.6 % rate with the Celtics.
Edwards is perhaps the biggest question mark going forward based on early returns, but as a competent defender for a rookie, he may turn out to be what he was hoped to with enough reps to get his confidence back.
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— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) January 14, 2020